Samuel E. Wright, voice of Sebastian the Crab in ‘The Little Mermaid,’ dead at 74

Actor Samuel E. Wright, who was the voice of Sebastian the Crab in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” died Monday night. He was 74.

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Wright died Monday night at his home in Walden, New York, after a three-year battle with prostate cancer, his daughter Dee told The Hollywood Reporter.

“He was the brightest light,” she said.

Wright’s death was also confirmed in a Facebook post on Tuesday by his hometown of Montgomery, New York. The post did not confirm the cause of death.

“Today, the Town of Montgomery mourns the loss of Sam Wright,” according to the Facebook post. “Sam was an inspiration to us all and along with his family established the Hudson Valley Conservatory. Sam and his family have impacted countless Hudson Valley youth always inspiring them to reach higher and dig deeper to become the best version of themselves. On top of his passion for the arts and his love for his family, Sam was most known for walking into a room and simply providing pure joy to those he interacted with. He loved to entertain, he loved to make people smile and laugh and he loved to love.”

Wright was born in Camden, South Carolina, on Nov. 20, 1946, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was part of the original Broadway cast of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in 1971, Variety reported. He went on to originate the roles of William in “The Tap Dance Kid” and Mufasa in “The Lion King,” and was nominated for Tony Awards for both roles as best featured actor in a musical, the website reported.

Wright also replaced Ben Vereen in the original 1972-77 production of “Pippin,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Wright appeared on many television shows during the 1970s and ‘80s, including as C.B. “Cool Breeze” Travis opposite Jim Bouton in “Ball Four,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. He also appeared on “All My Children” and “The Cosby Show” and then starred in 1980-81 as a police officer in “Enos,” a “Dukes of Hazzard” spinoff. Wright also had roles on “Simon & Simon” and “Spenser: For Hire” and did voice work on “Dinosaur,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In 1989, Wright provided the voice of Ariel’s trusty sidekick, Sebastian, in “The Little Mermaid,” Variety reported. His voice would also be used in the role for various video games, the television series “House of Mouse” and “The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea,” the website reported.

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